Elder
by Spiral Reflection
Summary: The criminal world is not the only underworld. Tsuna is turned into a vampire and tries to live a peaceful life. Four years later, the introduction to the baby in the fedora induces in him a premonition of chaos; his peaceful days soon end as shadows in the background begin to move and to protect all he holds dear he chooses to step up to fill not one but two troublesome thrones.


Summary: The criminal world is not the only underground world that exists. After Tsunayoshi Sawada is turned into a vampire he tries to live an average and relatively peaceful life. Four years later, the baby in the fedora standing in the entrance way to his home induces in him a premonition of chaos. Soon Tsuna finds his peaceful days at an end as shadows in the background begin to move and in an attempt to protect all that he holds dear he steps up to fill not one but two roles that seem more trouble than they are worth. **Two-shot, (partial?) AU, GEN (no pairings).**

Disclaimer: I, in no way, shape or form, own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

**AN:** This is a **two-shot**, Part two will be out when I have the time write it. I got the idea after seeing a KHR fanfic vampire AU and recalling the plot of some anime I watched at the beginning of the year, so I decided to write said, this story and its plot is open for adoption to anyone interested. PM me if you want to adopt it and we'll talk.

Feel free to criticise my grammar, punctuation, spelling, writing style or anything you feel was confusing or not well explained. I would like to know because it will help me grow as a writer.

* * *

PART I: BIRTH

* * *

Tsunayoshi Sawada was sure he had the worst luck on the planet. Of course his view was subjective rather than objective so it was slightly faulty. None the less he could only be bitter, not much surprised, as he lay against the wall in a dark, abandoned alley, under a sky that was rapidly darkening, writhing in pain. After all, he told himself, with the way the day had gone he should have guessed it was a prelude to disaster...

* * *

He had woken up late, the result of dead alarm clock batteries, and with a strong sense of foreboding he had dismissed as panic set in; the only way he would avoid being bitten to death was by some miracle- he was not holding out much hope. He had literally tumbled down the stairs in his haste and only had enough time to grab a slice of toast before rushing to school. He had arrived to class several minutes late and limping after his run in with Hibari.

The snickers that had started up at his arrival had caused his cheeks to flame in embarrassment and the snide remarks of the teacher had not helped one bit. So keeping his head down he headed to his seat, only to fall as someone stuck out a leg. Really, it wasn't fair, he had thought miserably as the rest of the students had started laughing and the only words from the teacher had been a sharp "Stop wasting time Tsunayoshi!" But he had long since learned that his life was not fair so he made no protests, kept his head down and took his seat.

Things hadn't got any better at all after that. The teacher had handed back their tests and on the top of his paper a '33' had sat in large red numbers. He received a disapproving comment from the teacher which set off his classmates again. And if Tsuna felt tears prickling the corner of his eyes as he sank in his seat then who could blame him, after all he had put his all into studying for that test. As if determined to make his life miserable (which the bitter woman probably was- one sure way for petty people to feel better about themselves was to make someone else feel absolutely miserable about their self) the teacher had called upon him several times during the classes to answer questions he had no clue about. Every time he got one wrong the whole class had felt it appropriate to laugh at him. He really did not understand what was so funny about the whole situation but then, he had long since stopped questioning his classmates' asinine sense of humour.

By the time lunch rolled around Tsuna was ready to dig a hole and live out the rest of his life in said hole as a hermit and in his mind he sang out thank you-s to his benevolent saviour- the school bell. Even when he discovered that he had forgotten his lunch- not that big a surprise considering how much of a hurry he'd been in that morning- and lunch money as well he was still happy. His classmates had left him completely alone and for once he was grateful that they all avoided sitting near him at lunch time like he had the plague.

The second half of his school day had been relatively better. His teacher had not called on him to answer any questions and he was able to slip out of the limelight of dame-ness that he usually inhabited. Without any sense of panic or embarrassment or self-pity he once again became aware of the sense of foreboding. It took all he had to sit still and not fidget uncontrollably- he would rather not have the teacher's attention drawn to him again.

Despite his slight limp he had never left the classroom as fast as he did that day once they had been dismissed for the day. It was only his luck that he ran into some delinquents from Namimori high- the worst kind that would steal candy from a child and laugh about it. He had hastily bowed in apology- both in hopes that this would appease them enough to let him go unscathed and in his own hurry to be safe in his room. When they began to demand pay for his "disrespect", Tsuna had given up all hope of getting home soon.

Afterwards, he found himself sitting alone in a dark alley more bruised than he had been that morning. Wasn't it funny that the only thing on his mind was the ominous feeling that had plagued him all day? By now every nerve in his body was taut and he felt like leaning over to empty his meagre breakfast on the ground before him. A rustling came from somewhere behind him. His head had whipped around; the only thing he had seen was a pair of red eyes before something sunk into his neck.

'_A vampire?!'_ His mind had screamed in disbelief and panic.

Tsuna had been the victim of bullies for a while now, his inability to do anything right had marked him as a prime target from a rather young age; that's why he knew that unless they were in a bad mood bullies liked to watch you struggle- the sense of power they gained from your powerlessness was one of the major reasons they did what they did, if they were in a bad mood they wanted a punching bag for stress relief and if you struggled it made it worse; they also enjoyed _hearing _you in pain- whimpers, groans, anything that indicated you were in discomfort.

Tsuna was not aggressive by nature or nurture, not even passive-aggressive, nor was he strong, so fighting back had never been an option. But as he felt the fangs sink into his neck and the vague sensation of the spot being used like a straw panic set in and he begun to struggle. His hands clamped around the arms that held him in place as he tried to force them away, he tried tugging his body back, away from the vampire's grip, tried kicking and clawing and screaming.

'_Why,' _He asked in his mind '_is it that there's never anyone around when I need it?' _

After what seemed like an eternity he was finally released and the momentum that he had gathered as he tried to tug himself away sent him stumbling back. On legs that were the consistency of jelly Tsuna couldn't stay upright and fell back against the alley wall, his body flopping about him like a ragdoll. He looked up at his attacker, the man had his back to him but as Tsuna's gaze fixed on him he turned his head. Eyes with pupils slit like a cat's, blood-red and colder that a blizzard fell on the body of the young boy, and despite his lethargy Tsuna shuddered under the frosty gaze; his eye- the right one- had a scar like a four point star right under it and was partly covered by a lock of black hair. Then the man gave a cruel smirk and he was gone, the quiet flap of his maroon trench coat the only sound he made.

Tsuna sat there, unable to find the energy to move no matter how much he struggled and commanded and implored his limbs to work. Convinced as he was that he was going to die here he couldn't find it in him to hate the vampire that was the cause of this. He had regrets of course but not the kind that most who knew him would have expected. He didn't regret not being stronger- he didn't like violence or fighting so it would hardly be any good in his daily life and he doubted even Hibari would have been able to fight off this vampire; he didn't wish he had more friends- sure it would have been nice but he had tried to make friends, if they couldn't like him for just him then what could he do; he didn't wish that he had more excitement in his life- he was happy with living a peaceful life and he was happy with peaceful, quiet, uneventful Namimori; he didn't wish for better grades- he lay here dying, having better grades would not have saved him. To him these suddenly became insignificant.

He did wish that he could have gone in a more significant way than being an annoyingly smug vampire's happy meal- he would have liked to die in his sleep at a ripe old age surrounded by children and grandchildren to whom he meant something at least; he wished that he could have punched his father because the man was an ass for leaving his mother alone for so long; he wished that he didn't have to leave his mother on her own because even if he was useless his death would hurt her deeply. He had other regrets, small things, niggling things- wishes to have somehow impacted someone's life, to have been a better support for his mother, to have tried the Tuna and taco sauce flavoured ice-cream that they sold in the ice-cream store, to have sat down once and watched a peaceful sunset, to have appreciated his mother's cooking more and told her how much he loved her and how glad he was that she was here for him because his father had all but abandoned him and everyone else thought he was not worth the air he breathed.

All his life he had wished that he was stronger or smarter or more popular or more masculine- wishes that seemed so petty now- but right now he wished that he had stopped being picky and worried and fidgety and overly-conscious of himself and just enjoyed his life. He didn't want to die, not now, not this way.

His neck burned and throbbed and itched where the vampire had bitten him. The pain had at first spread, making him feel like his blood was boiling within him; where it had touched had burned, leaving him writhing and whimpering in pain and when it receded it left him numb, taking away whatever little mobility his already tired body had managed. By now he couldn't feel anything but that spot, he was in a state of paralysis, wrapped in an unpleasant numbness that enveloped his entire body. Then all at once he arched his back, eyes wide open and let out an ear shattering scream as pain worse than anything he had ever felt before seized his whole body.

* * *

Nearby, a few birds flew from where they were perched as a loud noise cut through the air. The sound lasted for a few seconds before it abruptly cut off, leaving the area still and undisturbed as it had been before it began.

* * *

"Luther" a cold voice called. The man stopped moving before turning around to face the owner of the voice. Red eyes glittered in amusement as they met the annoyed sea-green eyes of his adversary- the only sign that the man before him was angry.

"Altair," his voice reflected his amusement.

A slight down turning of Altair's lips was all the warning Luther received before the man was in front of him making a downward slashing motion at his stomach with two short curved blades held firmly in his hands. If he had been a normal human then he would be dead by now but he was not. The 'clang' as the short blades made contact with another metal was an indication that Luther had drawn the sword strapped across his back.

"By order of the council you are to be brought in and tried for crimes against the vampire nation." Altair stated in an emotionless tone as he kept his blades pushing against Luther's sword.

"Hahahahaha," the red eyed man laughed, even as he gathered enough strength to push off his opponent. Immediately, Altair spun, bringing his blades in from the sides, Luther blocked it and once again Altair spun this time bringing up his right leg as he aimed to shatter Luther's left ribs with a kick. "Still playing dog to the council I see." He said, slashing at the other. Altair jumped back to avoid the hit and Luther took the chance to go after the orange-haired woman that had remain silent and forgotten the whole while.

The woman's eyes opened wider in alarm as Altair appeared in front of her, blocking a slash that would have taken her arm had it connected.

"And pandering weaklings too," Luther sneered in disdain.

March grit her teeth even as her master pushed back the black haired man and caused him to retreat. Resentment filled her as she watched the two fight. '_So much power in the hands of a mad man,' _her mind raged as she tried to keep her eyes on a fight that she could barely follow as their forms blurred in and out of sight. A slight fear rose in her heart which she ruthlessly squashed. Her fears were not unfounded but she could keep a lid on them. '_A man that would see the world drowned in blood if he could.'_ Her eyes narrowed into slits at this. Men like Luther were completely heartless, they thrived on pain and destruction and she hated it. A man like him with ambition unbridled by any sort of conscience and fuelled by too much power. It just was not fair!

The two continued to fight at rates normal humans would consider impossible but which she knew was barely a fraction of the power held by the two Elder vampires. She pursed her lips in a thin line. March was a higher vampire whose skill had won her acknowledgement in their world but even though she was considered powerful she would not last a second if an Elder ever decided to fight her seriously. When going against each other seriously Elders were said to be able to level a large city. That was how she knew that the two were holding back- the area was relatively intact. Her master was probably holding back because this was a populated and public area, Luther just seemed to be having fun playing around.

As they broke apart again Luther regarded Altair with a half lidded gaze, a lazy smile playing on his lips. "You won't let me go if I were to ask would you?" he asked with one eyebrow raised. Altair responded by attacking again but he was not phased. "Well," he started conversationally eyes holding Altair's "As interesting as it has been to see you again I have business awaiting me elsewhere." The smirk he shot at the green eyed man caused March to shudder- it was cold, filled with arrogance and condescension "I must say Altair," his voice dropped a notch and suddenly so did the temperature of the surroundings "you never fail to disappoint."

Altair had replied his comment by aiming the next slash at his neck but his blades met thin air. Instinctively he stretched out his senses searching for his adversary but the other vampire was completely gone from the area.

"He's gone," he informed his partner. A deep frown covered his face as he gave out a sigh before turning to March as he felt the woman move from her position.

"Again?" she asked though it was a useless question. She scowled in the direction he might have escaped from before turning back to her master and letting out a frustrated huff of air "What's our next move?" She asked.

Altair glanced over at her from where he'd been staring off into the distance before turning around again, he stretched out his senses to where something caught at the edge of it and nudged him sharply. The spirit didn't belong to Luther but its amount and feel was more than enough to catch his attention. The unbelievably large amount of unstable spirit seemed to be condensed in a small container- '_a human, either young or smally built_,' his mind supplied- and seemed about ready to boil over.

'_A new born!' _He realised with alarm.

"Let's go!" He commanded and before his companion could blink he had moved.

March wasted no time in rushing after him when she saw his form blur into being a few rooftops away obviously for her benefit.

They stopped after sometime and it was then she felt the energy that saturated the air, "Altair-" she began but was cut off by a firm hold on her upper arm. She looked up to him and knew that he must have felt it first when he had stretched out his senses to find Luther and that it probably alarmed him as much as it did her.

They moved silently and when next they stopped it was in front of a dark alley. There were not too many people lurking around, most of them being on the other side of the buildings that formed this space.

In the dark alley a small body lay against the wall almost completely motionless if not for the rise and fall of his chest. From where she stood she could tell it was a child, ridiculously young- not even old enough to be considered a preteen. The boy's eyes were closed, tear tracks streamed underneath them but he was completely silent. His breathing pattern was irregular, '_he's awake but in a lot of pain and unable to move; third stage of transformation.'_ She concluded.

Horror and anger welled up in her at the sight and then her anger transformed to red hot rage aimed at the person she was sure was responsible for the deliberate cruelty.

When vampires bit people they could choose to leave them with nothing but a puncture mark that could be healed. This method was relatively harmless excepting the fact that till the puncture wound closed the human was susceptible to the vampire's mind control. If the vampire repeated the process enough times in quick succession they could turn the human into permanent slaves, more so if the human had a weak will or sense of self; there were humans who were strong enough to resist it or completely throw it off for whatever reason. That said, most vampires chose to heal the puncture wounds and save themselves from the risk of discovery.

The second method was more permanent and more painful: they would inject the humans with a venom that would either cause them turn or kill them. No take backsies.

If the human had too weak a will or purpose to hold on to their life then they would die. If they had enough will to do make it through but they had too weak a mind then they would turn into skulks or crashers- vampires completely overrun by their base instincts to feed and survive and unable to refute any orders given by their master.

If they had a stronger mind then they would turn into true vampires though they would only make it to the rank of mundanes or carriers. Mundanes were the stronger of the two and unlike carriers, who could only access healing spirit when wounded, had conscious access to spirit even if they could not use much of it. Neither of the two could resist the orders given by the vampire that turned them. Many humans landed in this category.

Sometimes, the humans would make it to the rank of lower vampire and on few occasions, higher vampire.

The quality of spirit and the power available to each class were miles apart and though it was possible to ascend in ranks it normally took time.

Many times children couldn't take the process of turning and died, this was why vampires avoided trying to turn them. Even without injecting venom it was ill advised to drink from a child that was under the age of thirteen.

Regardless of age the one thing that was a given was the pain caused by the venom. Even if the bitten human were to die they would still experience the excruciating pain caused by the venom. Given the low survival rate of the children injected with the venom as well as the known suffering caused by it March couldn't perceive Luther's actions as anything but deliberate and malicious cruelty. Most likely he had timed his fight with Altair hoping that they would find the child.

'_If he survives this,'_ she thought absently and sorrowfully, wishing she could do something more for him, '_he'll make it to higher vampire.'_ She didn't think he would survive it though.

"Elder." Altair said from her left.

"What?" She asked, not comprehending his words after being so lost in her thoughts.

"Get away!" He commanded instead, hands latching onto her arm as he made his way to a building's roof. She regained her balance after the unexpected move and looked down just in time to see the boy burst into flames and let out a scream that filled the whole area and caused her heart to break. At the same time a wave of power travelled outwards from his body, shattering windows as it passed and yanking away her breath as it hit her.

In a few seconds the screaming stopped and Altair took that as his cue to return to the alley with March right behind him.

On the floor below them the small boy lay motionless in only his boxers (the little green dinosaurs that decorated them made her snort inwardly). A small orange flame flickered vibrantly on his forehead before going out.

She watched, surprised and happy as his chest continued to rise and fall. He was still in pain but out of danger.

With more gentleness than most would expect from her master, Altair picked up the small boy (who looked too small and too young in his sleep) and turned to leave with March close at his heels.

* * *

When Tsuna woke up it was to a consuming feeling of thirst. A cup was pressed to his lips and he drank in deeply, some fell past his lips and down his neck, leaving warmth where it touched. He didn't care as he kept gulping down the liquid greedily. As it finished the cup was drawn from him and Tsuna turned to the culprit, a snarl passing his lips. Somewhere in the back of his mind he noted the wrongness of the action but he did not care as he grabbed the cup handed to him by the blonde man. It was only halfway through the seventh cup that his mind cleared enough for him to think.

Once he did he flushed a deep red as he looked up at the man who had been handing him the cup. It was a giant of a man standing at almost seven feet in height with none of the lankiness that you found on basketball players but instead was solidly built and well muscled. In his demeanour there was something that inspired awe in the young boy. He had short, silvery-blond hair tied in a low ponytail and light green eyes. At the moment his mouth was set in a grim line.

The man said nothing of Tsuna's blush but instead said seriously "Drink, you can't be satisfied yet."

Tsuna looked down at the cup in his hands then gave a startled yelp as he dropped it and scrambled back quickly in fright. His eyes widened and he looked between the red liquid that now stained the light blue sheets and the man that had handed him the cup.

"It's blood!" He cried out, the fright evident in his face. Tears prickled his eyes as the metallic tang of the liquid teased his tongue and his stomach began to churn uncomfortably as his brain finally identified the sharp scent that had filled his nose since he awoke.

"And you're a vampire." The man had said in a matter of fact way.

Tsuna reeled in shock at the information before it all came back to him: his day that had felt all wrong right from the start, the attack from the vampire, the mind numbing pain. His stomach gave another lurch and he rushed towards the door he guessed led to the bathroom, leaning over the toilet and heaving out everything that was in his he was done he remained on the ground, palms pressed flat into the surface and supporting his drained body.

He didn't know how long he stayed there before he finally pushed himself off the floor and stumbled back into the room, letting his body fall into the comfy armchair and closing his eyes against the too bright light.

"Drink up." The man stood before him again, the large cup refilled to the brim with the red liquid was held out to him.

"I don't want to." Tsuna had protested even as he shrunk back in fear from both the man and the liquid.

The man gave a small sigh before walking over to the small table in the room and dropping the cup. He picked up something from the fruit basket that lay there and tossed it at Tsuna who failed to catch it, resulting in him being hit in the stomach with something hard.

The small boy held the apple in his hand, examining it critically before taking a small bite. He chewed carefully, savouring the taste in a way he never had before. Something dropped on his lap and he looked down to find the whole fruit basket sitting on his lap.

The blond man had walked away and was now sitting on the second armchair in the room, back comfortably supported and a glass of something red that made Tsuna flinch and look down again.

Neither of them spoke. Tsuna was focusing all his might on eating the fruit and not crushing it (something that had happened when he held his first apple too tight) and the blond in his own thoughts. Even after Tsuna finished he kept his head down and his gaze resolutely fixed on his twiddling thumbs.

"You're going to have to drink blood sometime." The man began abruptly and the small boy winced, pushing his body further back into the chair.

Altair gave another sigh. "Vampires live off life energy. The easiest way to get that is from blood." The brown haired youth remained silent so he continued. "We also get it from fruit, the fresher the better. And the older the tree it comes from the more life energy it contains. Not just the fruits but seeds too- we find those easier to digest than humans."

Tsuna could feel the man's gaze pierce him but said nothing as he listened.

"Meat is all well and good but only when it's fresh. Cooking it tends to kill off the benefits. Not that it has much to begin with."

"I don't want to have to…" he trailed off into silence but the older man understood his sentiments.

"Most of it is from animals. Humans take the flesh, we take the blood."

Tsuna slowly lifted his head to look at the man even if he could not meet his eyes yet. As soon as the boy looked up Altair caught his eyes.

"We are not monsters- not all of us. Blood just happens to have more life energy than most things. We do not thrive on pain nor are we trying to overthrow the human race. We are fine living side by side with them. We are faster than the majority of humans, stronger than them too and we can use spirit energy which most of them cannot. We are not the undead- we need life energy because we use much more of it than humans and we can't create it nearly as fast as we use it so we make do. It is not a surprise considering our extra abilities.

"Unfortunately we are weak to the sun. The weakest will burn up in sunlight; the rest will experience effects from easily getting sunburned to violent allergic reactions to mild irritation- you're lucky enough to be one of the few that won't be affected at all."

At this point Tsuna broke eye contact and receded in on himself again. Undeterred Altair continued on.

"Holy water is not going to cause us to shrivel up and die because we are not demons. Stakes through the heart will kill us as it would most humans. We may heal quickly but we cannot regrow body parts and a severed head will render you dead."

Again the boy winced from the imagery but so did most people so he continued to speak.

"Our bodies will not automatically burn up any poison we take in but if the users are not smart in their choice of poison then we just continuously heal from the damage till the poison leaves our blood stream. If they are smart in their choice then we will end up dead. We also don't do well with digesting all the artificial chemicals humans add to their food these days so I advise you to stay away from most processed foods unless you want to find yourself laid up the whole week. Sticking with fresh foods is your best bet."

He thought to himself as he tried to figure out if he had missed out anything important. He had covered some most of the beliefs about vampires and given the boy the most needed information. He saw the boy raise his head again, "Do you have any questions?"

When Tsuna shook his head Altair nodded then his expression became even more serious than before. "Then let me explain to you your position."

* * *

Nana Sawada jerked up from her position on her house's porch.

"Tsu-kun?" she asked sleepily, her heart heavy as she realised she was still outside. Tears begin to form in her eyes.

"Okaa-san?" a voice called- the worry and alarm obvious in the tone.

Under the dimly lit sky of the pre-sunrise morning, she spotted the fluffy brown hair of her ten year old son and a smile lit her face.

"Tsu-kun!" she shouted out in happiness, shooting up from her seat with her heart pounding in anticipation as she rushed towards her son who was trying to quickly undo the gate latches even as his fingers fumbled. Soon she was in front of the gate, arms tightening around him in happiness. Tears of relief streamed down her face as she held onto her baby.

"I'm so sorry kaa-san, so sorry for making you worry." He repeated over and over again. His hug was looser than hers in fear he might crush her but his grip on her sweater was white knuckled and even if his voice was muffled by her sweater its unsteadiness was clear.

"It's okay Tsu-kun," she quietly soothed as she rubbed circles on his back, "I'm just glad you're fine; Mama is here, it's okay."

As for Tsuna after everything he had gone through he was beyond relieved to be back with his mother.

* * *

"_Position?" he asked. His voice was quiet but free of the stutters that usually filled his speech._

"_As an Elder," the blonde continued. "There are six power classes under which a true vampire can be classified: carrier, mundane, lower, higher, sage, elder- carriers are the weakest and elders are the strongest of the strong. There are only eight of them in existence right now- the most that have been alive at once in a very long time._

_Tsuna found his mouth open in shock. "I'm an Elder." It had sounded like a statement but there was a strong note of disbelief in it._

"_The eighth one,"_

_Again the boy began to fidget again. Looking down at his thumbs and then back up at Altair, in his eyes there was distrust at his words._

_Finally he looked up, his body was even tenser than before and his eyes were guarded and wary, flashing gold for a second before reverting to their light brown shade._

"_So?" he asked, his eyes watched Altair carefully and mentally Altair gave a nod of approval._

"_Do you have any plans to leave Namimori now that you've been turned?" the question seemed to have thrown the boy off and he reverted to his young self, shaking his head rapidly and with enthusiasm as if saying that the he would never entertain the thought._

_Altair gave a single nod before continuing, "Amongst vampires Elders, by virtue of power, are considered as rulers- kings so to speak. In any area recognised as their territory all vampires entering that realm, the vampire council included, must abide by their rules- no exceptions made. They become responsible for the area and dictate how it is run- like the president of a country is responsible for the country and its citizens so is an Elder responsible for his territory."_

_The boy's head tilted to the side in question and the older man almost twitched as the child's pose made him look even cuter than he originally did- 'and that's saying something.'_

_Then he got to his point "By right of strength and birth Namimori becomes your territory."_

_The boy blinked slowly, once, twice, thrice, four time and then several times in rapid succession "What?!" He asked, his voice high with hysteria as he got Altair's meaning._

* * *

After that he had tried arguing that there was no way that could happen, that Namimori was not his territory though he lived here (if it belonged to anyone then it would be Hibari), that he could not be ruler of anything, that he did not _**want**_ to be ruler of anything! The man, whose name he had later learned was Altair, had shrugged nonchalantly at his denials and complaints and told him that others would not see it that way. Tsuna had argued that he looked nothing like a leader so surely they would be able to see this?

It turned out that the only way an Elder's territory could be taken away was if he was challenged and beat in a fight. Altair really did not seem to care about Tsuna's predicament or opinions. Apparently, now that he was a leader (though not by choice) others would suddenly be watching him, expecting things from him; they would expect him to lead them and to be someone great.

Tsuna risked tightening his hold on his mother just a little more as he thought of that. All his life he had been a coward, he hated fighting, hated hurting others and hated being hurt and now all of a sudden he had become a vampire that could crush people without meaning to and who, supposedly, was now going to be challenged to fights for a territory that he had no plans on claiming whatsoever.

"Tsu-kun?" his mother's gentle voice made him look up and immediately he felt glad he was still alive. Eyes that were red from crying stared down at him with warmth and a tinge of apprehension "Are you okay?" Tsuna felt his heart squeeze at that and he burrowed his face back in her sweater.

"I really love you kaa-san," was his soft reply.

Nana's eyes softened even more and a happy smile stretched her lips. "I love you too Tsu-kun." Tsuna smiled into the sweater and she let out a small giggle. "Let's get you something to eat then we'll put you right to bed. I think it's fine if you miss school today, I'll call in sick for you."

"Un," he replied. Slight apprehension bled into his frame as he thought to the small cartons in his bag that sat innocently like normal juice boxes. Altair had given them to him and promised to fetch him at a later date and introduce him to someone who could supply him with blood when he needed it.

"It's been a while since you slept in my room, so how about you stay with mama tonight?" his mother cheerfully asked him from across the table and he woke up from his thoughts and smiled at her before nodding. Never mind that he was ten and would be considered too old to be sleeping in his mother's bed. She beamed at him and his smile turned more genuine. "Then when you wake up, we can spend the whole day together. What would you like to do Tsu-kun?" she asked with bright eyes and he shook his head,

"Anything is fine," _as long as I'm with you_ remained unspoken.

His mother continued to chatter on and in the light of her cheerfulness he pushed away all other thoughts to focus on her. All his worries could be handled on another day, for now he had his chance to enjoy what he'd been given and to him that was what mattered.

* * *

My Tsuna, as you can see is more touchy and critical than the one in canon. Here Tsuna is still young. He knows he's not good at anything but he still has hope that things will change. Four years can corrode hope especially when there is no seeming change.

Tsuna reacted to him being a vampire in a way I think (and hope) is believable. You wake up, realise you've just drunk however many cups of blood and are abruptly informed you are a vampire. It cannot be pleasant.

Vampires need life energy to live- there's more on this in part two- but briefly life energy flows through living things. Vampires bodies do make life energy, their bodies actually make more than a human's does but they don't make enough and so they need the extra. For plants it can be found, heavily concentrated, in their fruit and seed. For animals most of it is in the blood with very little in the flesh. The amount in blood is way more than in most fruit available to them so their main diet is not so debatable. Fresh fish has a respectable amount of life energy though. Then there's the idea is that the processes done on most processed food drains out their life energy and not only that but the make up of a vampire's body does not allow them to digest these things so well so it's best if they avoid eating processed foods. They have a weakness to the stuff.

See you in part two.


End file.
